The United States on Thursday vetured the United Nations Security Council’s proposal, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The draft presented by 10 elected members of the council received the support of 14 out of 15 members.
It called for “immediately, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which are respected by all parties”, to lift the ban on the release and human assistance of all those held hostage by Hamas and other groups.
According to El Jazeera’s report, the US sub-special envoy in the Middle East defended Washington’s veto, saying, “America’s opposition to this proposal is not a surprise. It has failed to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, and it has wrongly justified that the false stories that have benefited from Hamas.
Palestinians and Arab representatives were sharply criticized by the veto. According to Al Jazeera’s report, Palestinian envoy Riyadh Mansoor said that the decision shows that the council’s “silence is paying huge prices for its credibility and authority.”
He further said that the use of veto power should not be “expected when the crimes of atrocities are at stake.”
Algeria’s United Nations Ambassador Amar Bendjama said, “Palestinian brothers, Palestinian sisters, forgive us. Sorry, forgive us, because the world talks about rights, but deprives the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said that Israel does not require “any justification” for his war in Gaza, and he thanked America for using the veto.
This voting took place on the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, which was “sad” by Al Jazira’s diplomatic editor James Bez.
According to Al Jazeera’s report, he said that America’s attitude reflects “America-first attitude towards the world”, at a time when many countries were advocating multilateral diplomacy.
